Hector Berrellez, a former DEA supervisor who led the multi-year investigation into DEA Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena's abduction, torture and slaying at the hands of drug-traffickers in 1985, wants the U.S. government to extradite Joaquín "Chapo" Guzmán because of his alleged role in the Camarena affair.

Berrellez, who retired from the DEA in 1996, said that one of his witnesses during the investigation alleged that Guzmán was present during the torture-interrogation session of Camarena, and was ordered by a drug cartel leader to pick up Camarena's pilot, Alfredo Zavala, who was also tortured and killed.

"We have people in the U.S. witness protection program who say they are willing to give additional statements under oath to a federal agent or federal prosecutor concerning these details," Berrellez said Wednesday.

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Diana Washington Valdez

"Back then, and this is already documented, Guzmán was an errand man, 'gatillero' (hit man) and understudy of the Guadalajara drug cartel that was led by Rafael Caro-Quintero, Miguel Felix Gallardo and Ernest Fonseca Carrillo," Berrellez said. "It was Fonseca who ordered a backup crew of 'gatilleros' for Zavala's kidnapping, and Guzmán was one of the members of the backup crew. He was also in the room when Camarena was being beaten because the cartel wanted to know how far the DEA had infiltrated their organization."

The investigation led by Berrellez lasted several years and cost millions of dollars. Numerous people were indicted and tried, some in Mexico and others in the United States. The big capos — Caro Quintero, Felix Gallardo and Fonseca Carrillo — were tried in Mexico and sentenced to 40 years in prison for their roles in the Camarena murder. Caro Quintero was released from prison last year on a technicality.

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A spokesman for the U.S. Justice Department, Peter Carr, said Wednesday, "We'll decline to comment beyond the following: The decision whether to pursue extradition will be the subject of further discussion between the United States and Mexico."

Carr noted that seven federal judicial districts have cases filed against Guzmán: the Western District of Texas has a drug conspiracy and RICO (Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) charges; Southern District of California, drug conspiracy; Eastern District of New York, money laundering; Northern District of Illinois, drug conspiracy; Southern District of Florida, drug conspiracy; New Hampshire, drug conspiracy; and the Southern District of New York, drug conspiracy.

Berrellez has joined with El Pasoan Phil Jordan, former director of the El Paso Intelligence Center and DEA special agent, in bringing out aspects of the Camarena investigation that were not made public in the past.

"We've been attacked for this, and our credibility has been questioned," Jordan said," by people who were not involved in the investigation and had no first-hand knowledge of what took place then or what is happening now."

While with the DEA, Jordan served as deputy chief of the cocaine section, and deputy chief of European operations. He also served as director of EPIC.

The DEA issued a single statement about Guzmán's capture and statements by Jordan and others:

"Remarks made by retired Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Phil Jordan and those of other retired DEA agents do not reflect the views of the Drug Enforcement Administration," the DEA statement said.

"The arrest of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán Loera was a significant achievement for Mexico and a major step forward in our shared fight against transnational organized crime, violence, and drug trafficking," the DEA said. "We congratulate the Mexican people and their government on the capture of the alleged head of the Sinaloa Cartel. The DEA and Mexico have a strong partnership and we will continue to support Mexico in its efforts to improve security for its citizens and continue to work together to respond to the evolving threats posed by transnational criminal organizations."

Berrellez said, "I would be a total nut case if I were to fabricate any of this. I am not an active federal agent, so I can't take the allegations into an indictment process, but interested agents and prosecutors can do this. We're waiting."

"It was something on the order of $4 million dollars that Caro Quintero had paid in bribes," Berrellez said. "But Kiki told the truth when they were beating him, that he didn't know anything about the money. What happened, we learned through the investigation, is that the police commanders that Caro Quintero gave the money to, which was supposed to be for Camarena, kept the money for themselves and lied about it to Caro Quintero.

"We found out that another DEA agent working in Mexico was dirty and did accept bribes from the Guadalajara drug cartel," Berrellez said. "Supposedly, the agency was going to deal with him and other aspects of the case later. The higher-ups wanted me to stay focused on the big drug lords involved in Kiki's murder."

Jordan said the alleged corrupt DEA agent "was holed up in a hotel with a 13-year-old girl when Kiki was kidnapped in Guadalajara. We were all very embarrassed about this."

In an interview Tuesday with Mexican TV network Televisa, Mexico's federal Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam said that it is unlikely that Guzmán will be extradited anytime soon to the United States. Murillo said that investigators in Mexico are at the beginning of what is expected to be a lengthy investigation into Guzmán's operations.